Major news organizations are pushing to pry open records in the Justice Department's investigation into Georgia's 2020 election, arguing that secrecy no longer serves its purpose now that Fulton County has publicly fought back against a federal subpoena.
The media groups, led by NBC News, want unsealed filings and subpoenas from the ongoing DOJ inquiry into Fulton County operations during the 2020 presidential race. The push comes after federal agents seized ballots and election materials from a county hub in January, followed by the DOJ's demand that officials surrender personal contact information for every poll worker and volunteer involved.
Fulton County, a Democratic stronghold in Georgia's crucial swing-state status, has refused to comply. In court filings, county leaders called the subpoena a bid to "target, harass, and punish the President's perceived political opponents." They also argued that the statute of limitations for any alleged 2020 election crimes has already expired.
That public pushback is the news organizations' main argument for unsealing the records. Since Fulton County disclosed the subpoena's existence and filed its motion to quash it on public docket, the traditional rationale for keeping grand jury materials under wraps has collapsed, attorneys for the media groups contend. "Grand jury secrecy has been lost," they wrote, "and the subsequent sealing of the Motion to Quash, the Subpoena, and the docket is not necessary or appropriate."
The DOJ and Fulton County officials did not respond to requests for comment.
What has already emerged from the case is damaging to the government's theory. When the raid warrant's affidavit was unsealed earlier this year, it exposed the investigation's foundation: largely debunked claims by election skeptics who questioned the integrity of Georgia's 2020 vote tallies. Ryan Macias, a former official at the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and recognized elections expert, later told a federal judge that the FBI's underlying evidence "doesn't make sense." The witness statements lacked grounding in reality, he testified, and the information the government relied on did not reflect what actually occurred.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "The public record already contradicts the government's core allegations, so keeping these filings sealed only shields the DOJ from embarrassment, not grand jury secrecy."
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